Between 200 to 300 hectares of arbutus groves are believed to have burnt.

Following the fire that ravaged the region of Odemira, accounts are now being taken of the damage. One of the agricultural sectors affected was the Medronhal, the Arbutus groves. This tree, which sustains part of the local economy through the production of Medronho (fire water), doesn’t have its own agricultural classification.

The president of the “Association for the Promotion of Medronho” believes that between 200 to 300 hectares of arbutus groves have been burnt. “The impact is still being assessed and may be greater than imagined”, explains Afonso Pereira, noting that some areas are almost impossible to account for.

Afonso Pereira says that most of the trees used to make this characteristic product were burned, resulting in the loss of thousands of euros for hundreds of producers.

The Government visited the affected municipalities yesterday, with the Minister of Agriculture having visited Aljezur and Monchique in the Algarve, while the Secretary of State for Tourism visited Odemira.

Following the field assessment, the Government will now decide which support measures to activate.